The present invention relates to an information recording and reproducing apparatus capable of, by use of a recording energy beam such as laser beam, real-time recording digital information such as data processed by electronic computers and digitizing information such as video for recording, a cartridge for use in this apparatus, and an information recording and reproducing system having the above-mentioned information recording and reproducing apparatus.
Recently, high-density, large-capacity read-only digital video discs (DVD-video and DVD-ROM) have been developed and a rewritable digital video disc (DVD-RAM) is under development for next-generation information storage media.
The CD-ROM and the CD-R, which are conventional information recording and reproducing discs, a disc is taken out of its casing to be set on a recording and reproducing apparatus or a reproducing apparatus or accommodated in a casing called a caddy having an open/close cap before being set on these apparatuses for recording or reproduction. With a magneto-optical (MO) disc, the disc is accommodated in its dedicated cartridge to be set on a recording and reproducing apparatus for recording or reproduction. The MO disc cannot be taken out of the cartridge. If the disc is taken out by breaking the cartridge, there is no apparatus that can accept the bare disc to read information from the same.
In information storage medium of the DVD-RAM type (hereafter, an example disc, which is a general recording medium will be described) has a high recording density and ensures rewriting multiple times. Therefore, it is desired to accommodate the disc in a dedicated cartridge for enhanced reliability. However, it is sometimes desired to read information from a disc accommodated in the cartridge on a read-only DVD-ROM apparatus that has no capability for loading such a disc. If an attempt is made to take the disc out of its cartridge, set the disc on a DVD-ROM apparatus for reading information, and accommodate the disc in its cartridge again for recording information, the following problems may be encountered.
When the disc is taken out of its cartridge, the disc may be contaminated with finger print, dirt, or other undesirable foreign materials to impair proper recording of information. Further, if a disc is taken out of its cartridge without checking contents (for example, remaining recording capacity) of the disc, the same may be unrecordable after it is barely used.
In addition, when a disc is accommodated in its cartridge again, the disc may be inserted with sides inverted or another optical disc (for example, a music CD, a CD-ROM, or a CD-R) may be inserted erroneously.